Vodka is not a complicated alcohol, and government standards on what constitutes vodka ensures that from the absolute bottom-shelf swill to the top-shelf ultra-premium bottles, what you end up with is, well, vodka. Marketing tactics and slick advertising aside, the real difference between the bottom and top shelf is the amount of filtration and refinement the vodka undergoes.

The video below demonstrates how you can do a filter job on lower-quality vodka to make it smoother drinking:

One thing to keep in mind with this process is that you're essentially transferring the cost of filtration from the company to yourself. If you find that a $10 bottle of vodka drinks like a $50 bottle of vodka after a few trips through a $5 charcoal filter, then it's well worth the addition of your time and money to bother with it. On the other hand, if after all your effort the bottle you're filtering only ends up tasting like a $20 bottle, you might as well buy the $20 bottle next time. For an interesting overview on the state of vodka sales in the U.S., and some interesting opinions on the value to be found in value-priced vodkas, check out "If Ever There Was a Time for Cheap Vodka" at The New York Times.

Have an alcohol-related hack? Tried filtering your own vodka before? Let's hear about it in the comments.